Harriet Evans: The First Year
by Sou desu ka. Meh. Kami korosu
Summary: AU. Harri doesn't have parents and doesn't even know if she has relatives, but what she does know is that the Dursley's hate her and she's going to be going to Hogwarts. What's more exciting is that she's going to be in the same year as THE Boy-Who-Lived!
1. Chapter 1

A squirrel quickly tore through the branches of a tree, an acorn clutched firmly in its mouth. Another, larger, squirrel chased after it, before lunging at it. In its fright the squirrel accidentally released the acorn and they both looked down in horror as it tumbled to the ground. They quickly sped away again as 'Oof' sprouted from what they had originally thought as empty ground. Of course, it was not so, as a girl, with long black hair and bangs completely covering her eyes and a bit of her upper cheek, lay on that particular portion. She turned her head to the side and brought her hand up to rub the spot where the acorn hit and shifted her bangs in the process. Bright green eyes with swimming flecks of red in it appeared along with a small sideways lightning shaped scar that rested just below her left eye. Her attention shifted from the bruise as squeals and giggles drifted over from the other side of the park where all the other kids were playing at the playground. A lonely sigh escaped her lips as she went back to staring up at the sky through the still leaves. She sorely wished that she could go join them but quickly dashed away the thought. No one would want a freak like her to play with them. Especially since they know that if they even do so much as talk to her they would get beat up by Dudley and his cronies. So, there she lay, ensconced by bushes and sweating lightly in the heat as she zoned out. It was because of that that she jolted in surprise when a letter flitted down from the tree and landed on her face. She glanced up after plucking the letter from off her nose and was surprised yet again as a regal brown owl hooted at her before taking off. It was with awe that she read the front of the letter:

Miss H. Evans

In The Bushes Under a Tree

Whinging Park

Little Whinging

Surrey

One of her eyebrows arched up further into her hair as she stared at the creepily accurate address of the letter. Not many people knew that she lay there under the tree, even if she was there every day. And who would even want to write to her anyway? Her curiosity peaked she sat up and a few moments of reading later she was throwing it away in disgust. It was obviously another on of Dudley's pranks. After all, there was no such thing as magic! She lay back down with a thump and watched as the leaves began to shift in a comforting wind. Soon enough her eyes began to drift shut as she began to dream.

_It was a cold windless night and puddles littered the street and sidewalk in evidence of the earlier storm. Families that had huddled inside to nurse warm drinks had all fallen asleep by now, all except one house whose windows were the sole light left on number 4 Privet Drive, not even the streetlights were lit. Inside the cozy looking house there was a frigid silence as two couples stared at each other, a little baby gurgled with happiness as she was held in her mother's arms. If she had any idea what her parents were there to do that day then she would not have been smiling and waving her little fist jovially at them, but screaming her head off with big blubbering tears as her hands and legs kicked out at those near her. For this night was the night that Lily and James Potter had finally come to a decision about their youngest child ,Harriet, the twin of their son Connor, The-Boy-Who-Lived._

_ "Petunia, I know we haven't talked in years but I promise, this will be the last thing I ask of you." Lily said, looking straight into her sister's eyes and biting her lip. "We just aren't in the position to take care of her at the moment. It's just to much for us to handle." Tears were welling up in the corner of her eyes and she looked anywhere but at the child in her arms. James wrapped an arm around her shoulders and pulled her closer to him so that her head could rest against his shoulder. _

_ Petunia looked down in disgust at the child in her sister's arm and stole a glance at her husband who had sat in stoic silence ever since her freak of a sister and her filthy husband had walked over their threshold. The silence stretched on until finally, James, who had been silently supportive this entire time, shifted forward to address the Dursleys._

_ "Of course, you won't be paying for all of her expenses yourself. We'll pay for her needs we just need someone to take care of her, spend time on her, and pay attention to her when she needs it. Everything we would be incapable of doing for her because of our...other...responsibilities." He glanced away at the last bit. He didn't want them to know about Harriet's twin. The baby had quieted down, as if catching on to what the discussion was about, and was now staring up at her mother whose eyes were looking everywhere but down at her. "We've also set up an account for her that will hold a bit of her inheritance. It's not much but it will be there to help her when she enters school and to help on her way after she is out of school. I made it so only she can get to it." Petunia narrowed her eyes at him. She had already told them that they wouldn't take the freak child but they just didn't seem to be getting it. They needed all their time for their son Dudley. _

_ "Fine." Petunia let out a gasp and whipped her head to the side to look at her husband who now looked resolutely at James. "We'll take her."_

_ "Vernon, dear, what are you..." Petunia began to ask, but was shushed by Vernon. He was still staring at James but motioned for Lily to give Petunia the child. Lily stood up quickly and placed Harriet in Petunia's waiting arms before scrambling back over to her husband. _

_ "Now leave, I never want to see your faces again." Vernon grunted. Lily stood up with a nod and began to make her way to the door but before she went to far she seemed to remember something and turned to her husband. He gave her a small nod to show her that he understood and reached into his pocket. He brought out a small, bumpy envelope and handed it over to Petunia who snatched it away quickly._

_ "That note is for Harriet. It's spelled to go to her as soon as she is able to read and won't be able to be opened b anyone but her. Also, we'd rather not have her have the last name of Potter so we have decided that she can go by Lily's maiden name, Evans, if that's alright with you." Petunia didn't seem all that happy about the magic used on the note and was looking at it disdainfully but she gave him a curt nod and tucked the note into Harriet's blanket. The Potter's walked out of the house but the frigid silence remained until Petunia turned slowly to face her husband a question on her lips that was silenced by the greedy look that Vernon was directing at the baby. He looked up at her with a smile on his face and Petunia stared at him in confusion._

_ "Think of it Petunia," He began as an explanation, "They're giving us money for this child's expenses but that doesn't exactly mean that we have to spend any of it on her. If we take care of her to the minimum then we can use all the money on ourselves and Dudley. She doesn't even need to know that we get paid! We can tell her that we're paying for everything and make her work it off! We'll have our own little maid in this child. Not to mention that it's what those freaks deserve for just dropping in on us and deserting this god forsaken baby with us." She looked down at the child in her hands, a look of pity briefly flashing across her face before being replaced by a horse-like grin. She walked out of the sitting room and headed over to the cupboard under the stairs where they kept Dudley's old crib that he had grown out of long ago. She blew briefly on the small green crib to try and get rid of the dust, though it didn't work very well. She lay little Harriet down on the dusty mattress and retreated to the doorway._

_ "Goodnight." She sneered, taking hold of the door and slamming it-_

Harri woke up with a jolt and air rushed through chattering teeth as she looked around at the empty park. It was sunset now and a chill had entered the air. Harri got up quickly and began to run, trying to reach number 4 Privet Drive as soon as she could. The Dursley's were always trying to find a reason to lock her out at night and her arriving late was one such reason. As she raced down the street any thought left over by the letter or her dream was thrown away, probably never to think of them again, unless brought up by another.


	2. Chapter 2

Harri sat in her bed, back against the wall, and held her cheek which was still red from where Vernon had hit her yesterday when she had burnt the dinner, and she had only burnt the dinner because he had made her go upstairs and unclog the toilet that he had just finished using. Her life had continued on normally after receiving the letter and she would soon be entering Stonewall High School where she would be the only female student wearing a dyed male uniform. She shifted over and turned on the light before reaching under mattress and taking out a worn envelope with an equally worn letter within. She spread the note across the her pillow and stared fondly down at the faded letters that disappeared completely where the letter was folded. Her eyes swept across the familiar handwriting and read yet again over the memorized words:

_Dear Harriet,_

_ I'm sorry that we had to leave you here at the Dursleys, but it was for your own good. We were unable to \properly care for you and so there was nothing else we could do. We're so proud of you now that you are able to properly read this message and in doing so know that we still love you. Because, really, we do, we love you so much. We never want you to forget that Harriet. That is why we have enclosed a ring within this envelope just for you. You need not worry about the size of it because no matter how much you grow our love will always encircle you. Remember, one day we **will** come back for you. We promise._

_Love,_

_Your Parents_

Harri grinned down at the last bit of the letter. They would come back for her, they had promised. She slipped off the simple silver ring that adorned the ring finger of her right hand and looked at the engraved message on the inside: _With Love, L & J. _ She couldn't help but wonder what type of people her parents were every time that she looked at the engraving. She would spend hours staring at it and hoping to find anything else that would be able to tell her what they were like, but it was not so today for a high pitched yell of 'Girl!' came from outside the cupboard and she quickly slipped on her ring and rushed out.

She found Petunia in the kitchen, hands on her hips, and foot tapping. "I thought I told you to start breakfast by the time that I got down here." she said sternly, pointing over to the stove before her eyes locked with Harri's and narrowed in disgust. " And what did we tell you about those bangs of yours! Keep them in front of your freakish eyes and that ugly scar of yours or I'll just get rid of your hair all together! Now get upstairs and wake up Duddykins." Her heart dropped at these words. Dudley simply hated her and there was obviously going to be some pain in the near future but she didn't say any of this to Petunia. She simply gave a nod and a 'Yes, Mrs. Dursley.' and went on up the stairs.

She knocked on the door and, with her head telling her every second that this was not good, walked inside of the veritable wasteland of toys. Petunia be strict about messes but she always let Dudley's room alone because last time she tried to get him to clean it he threw a tantrum and when she said that she would clean it for him he threw another one about how it was a hassle to have to go into his toy box to get anything. So, there they stayed cluttering his floor and making it hard for Harri to get across to where Dudley's bed was across the room. The bed was away from the window, because Dudley was afraid of what may have been lurking outside it, and the curtains drawn but there was still enough light to see the hulking mass of baby whale blubber that was Dudley lying in a mass of blankets.

"Mr. Dudley?" Harri called out tentatively, hoping that he would wake up quickly so she could leave the room. However, it was no such luck as all Dudley did was give off a large snort and toss over to the other side. Take a quick gulp of air she walked over the last but of floor and shook Dudley gently. In one sudden snort Dudley swung his arm over and smacked into her shoulder with enough force to make her fall back down on the floor. Dudley sat bolt upright with a look of bewilderment on his face before focusing on Harri and the look turned into a sneer.

"What have I told you about waking me up, Freak." He said as he struggled to get his huge girth out of the blankets and onto the floor. He picked his way through the toys on the floor and over to his wardrobe to choose the clothes he would wear over to Pierce's. "Now get out." Harri didn't to hear anything else as she bolted out of the room, not even caring when she ran over some of his toys in the process.

Once out the door she brought up a hand to gingerly touch the shoulder that Dudley had hit, knowing that it would be a big purple bruise by tomorrow, which didn't actually bother her to much. She always had a bruise from _something _and it came to the point where she actually enjoyed guessing what color it would turn. She liked the yellow and green with bits of purple bruises best. A ring of a door bell and a quick yell from the kitchen to go get it had her rushing down the stairs and to the door. She opened the door after a moment of composing herself only to find herself facing billowing black cloth. A tilt backwards of her head had her looking at sunken in black eyes, a hooked nose, and greasy black hair framing it.

"Child, are you Harriet Evans?" His cold tone startled her out of her stupor and she ave a nod, never breaking contact with the indifferent glare that he was sending her way. "Very, well," he said with a sneer "let me in so I may talk to your guardians." Harri stumbled backwards as she scrambled to let him in and began leading him to the sitting room when her aunt appeared in the door way of the kitchen.

"Girl!" She yelled in fury, causing Harri to flinch. "What kind of freak did you let into our house!" Her eyes were locked fearfully on his form despite her rude tone. He glided forward and Petunia cowered in the doorway, certain that pain was soon to follow her outburst. However, all he did was stop in front of the archway leading to the sitting room and tilted his head to the side.

"If you will stop your sniveling," he said with disgust. "we have much to talk about. Most particularly about your ward and her schooling." And with one last contemptuous glance at Petunia, he walked into the sitting room and sat down on the sofa. Harri stared at Petunia in confusion and wondered why she was so scared of the man for, even though he was most definitely scary, he had done nothing that would make her think that he would hurt her in any way. Petunia finally glanced at Harri and, after seeing her confused, if not slightly amused, face, straightened up with a snap before proceeding into the sitting room, though not before she told Harri to make tea.

Harri raced forward onto the kitchen, and tried to make the tea as quickly and quietly as possible so that she could listen in. She grimaced in frustration as all she could pick up was the slight mumbling buzz that told you they were talking without actually knowing what was being said. Her grip on the tea container tightened as she tried to concentrate as much as she could and then, bit by bit, the words began to focus and she gasped in delight as she heard the mysterious man's voice:

"Mrs. Dursley, it doesn't matter what you want. She will be going to Hogwarts." His tone was forceful and made no room for protest. "If she isn't taught her magic will get out of control and do more than the harmless accidental magic of youth. You will either participate in getting her the things she needs or she'll come with me and we will get her things ourselves." There was silence and it seemed as if Petunia was struggling with her choice.

"I'll go nowhere near that filthy place filled with freaks!" she snapped. "You take her! I certainly won't! If I had my way then she wouldn't go anywhere near this disgusting school of yours and would be going straight to Stone Wall High School." Harri had finally finished making the tea and she placed it onto a tray before hurrying into the sitting room. Both adults turned to look at her and she fidgeted a bit before quickly giving them their cup of tea. Petunia took a grateful gulp of it with a sigh, while the man look at it with disgust before placing it on the side table.

"Miss Evans," he called out "Sit down, we have some things to discuss." Harri glanced at the couch that Petunia was sitting at and then at the imposing figure of the sallow faced man before promptly sitting next to him. He was far better to sit next to then anyone from this family. "I believe you have received the letter sent to you last month?" Harri looked at him in confusion. She had never gotten a letter before but then her confusion was replaced with understanding. The letter that she had thought was a cruel joke from Dudley and his friends was actually the letter from this 'Hoggywarts'.

"I'm sorry, sir." she said, her hands fidgeting in her lap. "I thought it a joke and threw it away." The man stared down at her in thinly veiled contempt and Harri suddenly found her trainers quite interesting. The man reached into his robes and brought out a letter identical to the one she had thrown away and handed it to her.

"My name is Severus Snape, I am the potions professor at Hogwarts School of Witch Craft and Wizardry and you will address me as such." He stared her down as if expecting her to defy him before continuing on in a obviously rehearsed way. "You are a witch. There is such a thing as magic. As a witch you have the ability to do magic. All you need to get for the school year is in that letter. Now come, I must take you to Diagon Alley so we can get your supplies." He said the last bit with a grimace as if taking her anywhere would be torturous for him. Harri froze, letter still in hand, as her brain tried to process all the information that she had been told. If he was right then she was a witch and all of the weird things that she had been punished for was magic and it was normal. She wasn't the only one like she had thought this entire time. There was a whole school full of them! She was startled out of her thoughts when Snape stood up and began walking towards the exit of the sitting room, she flushed in embarrassment before quickly following his retreating form.

"Um, Professor Snape," she said when she finally caught up with him "how will I be paying for all of this? The Dursley's would never pay for it and I certainly don't have any money." He continues on as if he hadn't heard her at all until he reached the door.

"It has bee taken care of. Now, take hold of my arm. Hold on tight and don't let go, I will be doing side long apparition with you." He held out his arm and, after a bit of hesitance on Harri's side, she grabbed on. "The funny feeling is normal." And before she could utter a word he had twisted on the spot and she felt as if she was being squeezed through a tube. A gasp of joy escaped her lips as she opened her eyes in the middle of a crowd full of people wearing the same clothing as the Snape. People were chattering away in careless abandon and kids could be seen running through the crowd and loitering at windows. However, her viewing was cut short as Snape put a hand on her shoulder, turned her around, and led her off to their destination.

Harri tried her best to see everything that she could as Snape steered her through the crowd, but every now and then she would slow down to stare at the wonders around her and he would give her a painful squeeze before pushing her forward. Harri marveled at how efficient he was and couldn't help but think that he had done exactly this many times in the past with other first years. Her musings were cut short when Snape took a quick turn and pushed her into a shop.

"This is Madame Malkin's Robes For All Occasions. Go in and get fitted while I get your money." And with that he was gone. Harri fidgeted with her ring as she looked around the shop. She didn't know what she was supposed to be doing, Petunia had never taken her to a store before so all of this was quite new. Luckily she was saved when a witch, who she assumed must be Madame Malkin, waved her over.

"Hello, deary." She said as she ushered her into the back. "I assume you're here for your Hogwarts uniform, right? Good, good." She was brought into a room filled with several different types of cloth as well as other tools of her trade. "Sit down here for a minute and I'll get your sizes."

As Madame Malkin did her thing Harri was left to her own devices. She looked to her right and noticed another boy who seemed to be waiting for his things to made. He stared at her with critical eyes that took in her old hand-me-down clothes from Dudley that were so huge that she had to use and old shoe lace string to hold up the pants. She blushed and fidgeted with her ring in shame of her appearance.

"Hogwarts, too?" He asked in a slightly stiff voice and Harri's head jerked up in surprise making Madame Malkin titter about sudden movements. Harri gave a short nod. His eyes shifted around uncomfortably for a bit as though dreading something. "Your a muggleborn are you?" and then he quickly looked towards the door as if expecting someone to come in.

"What's a muggleborn?"Harri asked and then watched as he stiffened as if his worst dreams had come true. He grimaced at Harri's questioning look and shifted away from her a bit.

"It's what we call people born from muggle, non-magical, parents." He said with a grimace. He glanced at the door again.

"Oh. Well, I don't know if I am then. I've never actually met my parents. Though," she paused as she thought back to her note and how it talked about the ring always fitting and how when Snape came Petunia seemed to know who he was and what he was talking about. " I think I might be born from magical parents. After all, I do have a premade account at Gringotts from my parents." The boy's stiff posture slipped as he sighed in relief. He was no longer glancing around and looked directly at her.

"That's good. My father doesn't like me mingling with mudbloods." He gave her a smile and held out his hand. "My name is Draco Malfoy."

"Harriet Evans." She said as she smiled back and shook his hand. "You can call me Harri, though."

"So what house do you think you'll end up in? My entire family has been in Slytherin and I'll be holding up the family tradition." He continued in with obvious interest. However, Harri could only stare back in confusion.

"Um. I was raised in a ...muggle family. So, I don't know about any of this stuff. What do you mean by houses?" Draco looked a little disconcerted about her being raised by muggles but didn't comment on it. He spent the next few minutes explaining about the different houses and how everyone was sorted. Harri nodded on comprehension at the end. "I think I might be in Ravenclaw. But, then again, I don't think I'm very smart." She thought back to what he said about Slytherin: 'Slytherin comes in second in the smart category without being a nerd and they are the most cunning and the ones that usually achieve something in their life. All the notables are in Slytherin house.' "Slytherin might be it, but I guess we won't really know until we get sorted."

Draco seemed pleased about this and was about to say something else when he stopped and stared towards the doorway. Harri turned to see Snape being followed in by a tall blond man that looked like Draco and that eyed her in much the same way.

"Ms. Evans." Snape said, catching her attention and bringing it away from the tall man. He handed her a small wallet full of jingling coins. "This is the money that I took out of your trust fund for your school supplies. There is a little left over for something extra if you wish it." Harri nodded her thanks and tucked the wallet into her shorts pocket.

"Uncle Severus, I didn't know you were the one showing Harri around." Harri looked over at Draco. Uncle? They certainly didn't look alike at all. Maybe Snape was just a 'close family friend.' However, before she could ask she was stopped by Madame Malkin.

"Deary, why don't we move to the side room while the menfolk chat? Us girls should have a talk." Harri looked at the three males as they talked and decided that it would probably be fine if she left for a bit. She gave a nod and followed the older woman through the door. "Now, I've taken the liberty to prepare some girly undergarments that you'll be needing soon and have put them into the bag along with your robes." Harri nodded when Madame Malkin gave her the bag. "And, also, I think it's about time that you get a hair cut. I bet you can barely see a thing." she said indicating the length of her bangs. Harri blanched at the thought of what the Dursleys would do to her if she came back with no bangs and quickly shook her head no.

She let out a tutting sound at Harri's blatant rejection of her idea before she suddenly turned around and started rifling through drawers that lined one of the walls. She turned around with two hair ties in her hand and pushed Harri towards a mirror in the corner.

"If you don't want it cut how about I put it up for you?" Harri seemed a little iffy about it but after looking at Madame Malkin's smiling face she coudn't help but agree. Taking only the top layers of hair into her hand she made two side pony tails out of some of the bangs and the rest out of the hair below it. After finishing the pony tails there was still some hair left over in her bangs so Madame Malkin swept it off to the side. "See, isn't that better?"

Harri gave an emphatic to show her agreement as she stared at herself in the mirror. She really liked the hairstyle and it could be easily taken down in front of the Dursleys. She gave a wide smile and turned to Madame Malkin.

"Thank you so much!" Madame Malkin waved her off.

"It was nothing, deary. Now, it's about time you head back out." she said and began to usher Harri through the door yet again. "And you can go ahead and keep those hair ties." She gave Harri once last smile before bustling off to another customer.

Snape and the others were in the exact same spot that she had left them at earlier and she returned to them now with a smile on her face. Snape paused in the conversation and looked down at her, noticing the bag she now held in her hands.

"I suppose you are ready to head to the next shop?" he asked. Harri gave a nod. He sighed. "Very, well. Lucias, Draco, I will see you another time, but for now I have work to do."

"Goodbye Mr. Draco. I guess I'll be seeing you at the beginning of the school year." Harri said politely. Draco gave her a smile but he seemed to be looking curiously at her eyes.

"Yes," he said, snapping out of it. "I'll meet up with you on the train ride there." He stared at her for a bit longer before saying, in a quieter tone. "You know, the red bits in your eyes are moving." Harri wanted to ask him what he meant, but before she could she was guided outside by the same hand as earlier.

Time seemed to whiz past faster then aver before as Snape pushed her into shop after shop. The Apothecary smelled horrible but Harri didn't really mind since she was always made to clean up stinky messes, but what caught her attention more then the smell was all the interesting things that were inside the shop. There was unicorn horns, thestral hair, beetles and plants of different sizes and color, and there was also this weird stone that looked slightly like a root but she couldn't really tell. Snape seemed slightly amused that she stayed longer in this shop then any of the other shops that they had visited so far, but soon enough he was ushering her towards the door as she had already gotten the things that she needed. A quick stop at Flourish and Blotts got her all the things she needed and some extra reading about the customs and legends of the wizarding world (as recommended by Snape).

Finally, after all that, Harri was standing in front of Ollivander's wand shop. Harri could barely hold in her excitement. Even though the Dursleys didn't allow any books about magic, at all, Harri still knew that every witch and wizard had a magical wand. She gulped as she stepped inside and peered around at the stacks of thin rectangular boxes that were piled to the ceiling.

"Good afternoon," said a soft voice directly behind her. Harri jumped ans spun around only to be faced with and old man with wide, pale eyes. "What is your name, girl." Harri gulped, this must be Ollivander.

"Harriet Evans, sir." She said as she backed up a few paces. Ollivander looked at her critically, she seemed to be getting those a lot today, and nodded to himself in satisfaction before walking behind the counter and bringing a small stack of boxes out from underneath the counter.

Soon, he began handing her wand after wand. Each one different in its own way and none of them her own. The trials went on and on and a pile of boxes grew on the counter. Harri sighed as yet another wand was whisked out of her hand. However, instead of it being replaced immediately like before it remained empty as Ollivander muttered to himself before turning around abruptly and walking into the back of his shop. He returned with a small wrapped up box held securely in his hands. Unwrapping the box he took out an elegant white wand and handed it to her. As she took it a shiver ran through her body and she gazed in wonder at it as she gave it a wave. Enchanting blue and green sparks flew from the tip of the wand and made the area around her seem as if she was at the bottom of the sea.

"I see, to think that this wand would actually get an owner." Ollivander sat in a pensive as he stared at the wand in her hand. "You know, that wand started out as just a pet project of mine. A friend in Brazil sent over the core and asked me to try and make a wand out of it. Said he tried all he could to make it but it just didn't work right. I made it. And now it's yours. Ten inches. Elder. Flexible, a real all rounder with any type of magic." He seemed to pause and looked directly into Harri's eyes. "Encantado scale core." Harri heard a sharp intake of breath behind her and she turned to see Snape staring at the wand in her hand in incredulity.

"What's an encantado?" She asked in confusion. Snape took the effort to explain.

"It is a mythical creature that lives in the Amazon river. They are known shape shifters that go to parties at night and make off with young ladies and bring them back into their domains. They are rarely seen in their transformed form but it is even rarer for someone to see them in their regular form. They have the power of persuasion, control over weather, and the ability to cause sickness, insanity and death. There original form consists of either a boto or a sea serpent. I believe that the encantado that gave you your wand's core was a sea serpent considering they have scales." He said as Harri azed on shock at her wand. "It's quite an unusual wand. You should find yourself lucky." She did.

After paying the man and giving a quick thank you for her wand, it was with great relief that she came to the last shop of the day. In Eeylops Owl Emporium she found a snowy white owl to match her wand and found that even after her last purchase she still had five Galleons, fifteen Sickles, and three Knuts. Grabbing hold of Snape again she was Apparated back to the Dursleys and after a quick goodbye from her future professor and directions on how to get to platform 9 ¾ she was back in her cupboard with only an owl for company.

Harri sighed as she fed her newly named owl, Hedwig, another owl treat. The only good thing was that Petunia and Vernon had stored all of the things that she had gotten in the cupboard as well. So, even though she wasn't allowed out of the cupboard at all, to the point where she had to sneak out at night to get food, she wasn't bored because she could read all of the books she had gotten. She was currently working on reading through _Modern Magical History_ and couldn't help but wonder at the absurdity of the fact that the last Dark Lord, Lord Voldemort, was defeated by a baby. Her eyes widened in wonder as she looked down at the dates on the page.

"Connor Potter," She paused in thought. "Is the same age as me. Does that mean he will also be going to Hogwarts?"

* * *

A/N: Thank you for reading my story, I'll update as fast as I can. And, yes, the encantado is real. You can look it up on wiki to learn more.


	3. Chapter 3

"Have fun trying to find your non existent platform." Vernon sneered in amusement as he pulled away in his car leaving Harri all alone at King's Cross station.

All she did was sigh as she began walking towards her destination. The platform existed, just not normally. It was a little weird making her way through the crowd with a big cart full of unusual things such as an owl. As soon as she was sure Vernon wouldn't be coming back she ducked into a bathroom and put her hair up like how she was shown to a month before by Madame Malkin. She couldn't help the smile that appeared on her face as she thought about how she wouldn't have to take it down for months, since she wouldn't see the Dursleys again until the summer. Humming happily she remembered the instructions that Snape gave her about getting to the platform and quickly went through the barrier.

Harri stared in amazement at the scarlet train that appeared after she passed through the barrier. She had never seen anything like it before, since the Dursleys don't take her out of the house. Walking down the platfrm she tried to find an empty compartment to put her stuff. She had remembered Draco's offer of finding each other on the train there but she was sure that he probably forgot about her and would have other friends to worry about. As she continued down she couldn't help but hear the conversation a family of red heads was having ans stopped to listen.

"Now you two-," she said, addressing a pair of identical red haired twins. "This year, you behave yourselves. I don't want anymore repeats of the times where I got owls saying that you charmed Filch's cat rainbow, or flooded the potions hallway, or filled the Slytherin Quidditch Locker rooms with itching powder from Zonko's, or that you've – you've blown up a toilet -"

"Blown up a toilet? We've never blown up a toilet."

"Great idea though, thanks, mom." That seemed to be the last straw for her.

"Oh, get going! Go!" and she shooed them off. The twins didn't seem to mind though because they walked off laughing and smiling and their mother let out a huff and turned back to start attacking her other son's nose.

Harri let out a sigh as she walked on. She wished she had a mom to exasperate. Harri shook her head to get rid of those thoughts and after putting all the little things in began to try and heave the big trunk of hers into it as well. She let out a grunt of frustration as she tried, yet again, to unsuccessfully to shove her trunk through the train door and into her compartment.

"Want a hand?" It was one of the red haired twins that she had watched earlier.

"Yes, please." Harri said as she finallylet go of the handle of her trunk.

"Oy, Fred! C'mere and help!" With their help Harri's trunk was successfully stowed away in the compartment.

"Thanks, I don't think I ever would've gotten it on by my self." She said in appreciation. They both grinned at her.

"No problem," said the first one. 'My name's George, and this is Fred." He indicated the twin behind him.

"It's nice to meet you. My name's Harriet, but you can call me Harri." she said with a smile. Harri hesitated a bit before saying. "Um, I didn't mean to eavesdrop or anything but I couldn't help but hear your mother talking about all your pranks. And, um," She hesitated again and the twins looked at her with a 'come on, spit it out' expression. "Do you mind telling me about them? I mean, only if you don't have anywhere to be, that is." The twins exchanged a look before grinning at her.

"Anything for a soon-to-be fan." Said George.

"But only for a bit -" Continued Fred.

"Cause we have to meet up with Lee." Finished George.

Harri gave an excited nod and the twins sat down with a flourish. Harri sat down at the other side of the compartment and listened raptly as the twins told her about their many exploits at Hogwarts. Even though they only said a bit that bit turned into an hour before an irate looking boy with dreads came into the compartment to grab Fred and George. In the end Harri became one of their fans and was even told that if she showed the talent she could become their apprentice. After hearty good byes from the twins Harri sat alone on the silence of her compartment zoning out the window at the passing terrain. Thus it was with great surprise that the door slid open and Draco popped in looking peeved.

"So this is where you were Harri." He said in an irritated huff. "I've been looking all over for you and you were just sitting here the entire time. Did you forget about what I said about riding the train together to Hogwarts?" Harri shook her head and Draco huffed at her before grabbing her hand and dragging her out of the compartment.

"Draco!" She protested. "My stuff -"

"-will automatically be taken up to Hogwarts when we arrive. Until then it'll be fine in there." Harri sighed and gave up as Draco pulled her in front of another compartment in the middle of the train. He opened the door, walked inside, sat down, and patted the seat next to him expectantly. Harri gulped nervously as she looked around at all the other people in the compartment but complied with his wishes anyways.

"Guys, this is Harri, the one I told you I met when I went to Diagon Alley." He said in a pompous voice. A small girl with straight brown hair leaned forward from the other side of the compartment with a huge smile as she stared at Harri's eyes.

"Ooh. You're right Draco, she has the prettiest eyes." She exclaimed. Harri blushed at the mark but she wasn't the only one. Draco had a small blush on his pale cheeks and he looked disgruntled.

"I didn't say pretty. I said unusual; interesting." He straightened up and pointed towards the girl that just spoke. "Harri, this is Pansy Parkinson," She gave Harri a little wave. Draco moved on and indicated a black haired girl with a squire build and a jutting jaw. "Millicent Bulstrode," She gave a nod. Next was a tall boy with dark skin. "Blaise Zabini," Another nod from him. And last was a pretty yet slightly plump girl with dirty blond hair. "and Daphne Greengrass. We're all expecting to be sorted into Slytherin and have known each other for years."

Harri nodded as her brain tried to keep the names to the faces. She was horrible with names and was sure that she was going to forget at one point. The conversation that had stopped when she was brought in resumed and Harri listened as the others talked. The boys mainly talked about Quidditch, which she had only a vague idea of what it was from her books, and the girls talked about the facilities at Hogwarts and the latest fashion that had Harri thoroughly lost. Time passed like this until it was time for them to put on there robes. Harri excused herself to go back to her original compartment to find her trunk so she could get her school robes.

She was quite surprised to find that it now had occupants, though really it shouldn't have been. Three boys and a girl looked up at her all at the same time and Harri couldn't help but squirm a bit. The one closest to her was the boy who had gotten his nose attacked by his mother, the one sitting opposite to him was a rather plump brown haired boy, though if you looked close you could tell it was just baby fat, sitting next to him was a bushy haired girl with a rather large set of front teeth, and sitting across form her was a boy with black hair, bright brown eyes, round glasses, and had a thin scar cutting across the bridge of his nose. This bit seemed oddly familiar but she just couldn't place it. It seemed as if the boy felt it too because he was staring at her with the same face she believed she had just shown him.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to intrude. I have to get my school robes out of my trunk up there." She said with a feeble grin as she pointed towards her trunk. The girl with bushy hair clapped her hands together and let out an exclamation of understanding.

"So those are _your_ things." Harri gave a sheepish nod.

"I got pulled away by a friend and he didn't let me grab my things." she said on explanation. The girl nodded.

"I know exactly what you mean. Boys can get so bossy." She earned herself several disgruntled expressions from the boys but didn't seem to mind at all and continued on as if they hadn't done a thing. "I'm glad you came in here, though. I had nearly forgotten that we were almost there and had to change. How about you change in here with me. It'll be much easier then finding a bathroom or heading back to your friend's compartment. The boys can wait outside for their turn." And with that she got up and began shooing the boys out. "My name's Hermione, by the way."

"Harri." She replied back as she pulled on the robes. Soon enough they were done and the boys went in and changed too. Before Harri could leave Hermione had grabbed hold of her and dragged her back into the compartment to meet the others.

Once back inside she was introduced and then Hermione began getting introductions out of each boy. The gangly red haired boys name was Ron and he gave her a stiff nod as if not used to talking to girls. The boy with baby fat was Neville and he gave her a jolly smile which she returned full force. What surprised her the most was that the black haired boy that she had felt was familiar was introduced as Connor Potter.

"You mean _the_ Connor Potter?" Harri asked in astonishment. He gave her a rogueish smile and leaned back in his seat as if he was waiting for a slew of words of praise to come at him. Harri frowned a bit. "How interesting. It's nice to meet you." His smile dropped into a confused frown at her rebuff.

Harri, however, did not care and got into a conversation with Hermione and Neville about what they're expecting at Hogwarts and what house they think they'll be in. Connor seemed a bit miffed but after a bit of moody silence on his part he finally got pulled into the conversation. It seemed that every single one of them expected to be in Gryffindor, except for Hermione who thought she might be in Ravenclaw. Harri wanted to be in Slytherin but from what she read in her books Gryffindor and Slytherin don't exactly match up well together, so she skillfully avoided answering the question like a good little Slytherin. Harri wanted to get back to her friends at the middle of the train but Hermione just wouldn't let her. She just kept babbling on and on about what she read in _Hogwarts: A History_ and it was really getting on her nerves. Finally, she gave in and told her bluntly that she needed to go and that she would see her later. Hermione seemed a little taken aback by the suddenness of it but gave a weak nod as Harri left. She sighed in relief and quickly made her way back to her Slytherin friends.

"There you are, Harri!" Pansy exclaimed as Harri sat down next to Draco. "I thought you had gotten attacked or something and we would have to go rescue you!"

"I might as well have gotten attacked." Harri said in a huff and explained what happened to her when she tried to go get her robes. All of them looked fairly sympathetic about her plight.

"That's Gryffindors for you. Just don't know when they're not wanted." Draco sneered. There were several grunts and nods of agreement from the group. The discussion paused as a voice went through the train announcing that they would be at Hogwarts in five minutes. Silence descended on the group as they checked to make sure they had everything they took out put away and you could almost feel the excitement as it ran through the compartment. As first years this would be their first time seeing it and even though everyone tried to act nonchalant it was obvious that they all couldn't wait to see it.

Finally, the train slid to a stop and everyone bustled out onto the small, dark platform and stood, shivering, in the cold night air. A booming voice called out to all the first years and directed them to the boats. Harri almost tripped over Draco when she caught sight of the huge bushy haired man that the voice belonged to. The group split when they came to the boats and Harri and Draco got stuck with a girl with plaited hair and a boy with straight black hair. They introduced themselves as Susan Bones and Terry Boot. There wasn't much of a conversation going on between them as everyone was staring up at Hogwarts or looking into the lake trying to find the large squid that is said to reside there.

"Alrigh' all out!" Yelled the giant man from earlier as the boats hit the shore. Everyone scrambled out of the boats and walked through the damp grass up to the huge, oak front door. "Everyone here?" By this time Blaise, Pansy, Millicent, and Daphne had rejoined them and they all walked into Hogwarts together for the first time.

0.O

Harri snorted in amusement as she heard Ron's theory of how they were supposed to be sorted. Everyone knew that Hogwarts sorted using a hat, but she was pretty sure she knew where Ron had gotten the idea from. Harri glanced to the side to look at Draco who was using his hands and Pansy's mirror to slick back his hair as best as he could fro the sorting that was coming up. She was about to say something about it when several screams issued around the room and her head snapped up to see about twenty ghosts come through the wall. Draco looked up at her gasp and ave a smirk.

"Didn't know that there was an actual thing as ghosts, eh?" He sniggered. "Guess that's to be expected since you grew up with muggles." Harri glared at him.

"I _did_ know that there was such thing as ghosts. It's that it's one thing reading about them and another thing to actually see them for the first time." She left out the part where she had read it from _Hogwarts: A History._ She had gotten a solid dislike for the book after she had Hermione quote half the book to her when she was stuck in their compartment. Draco shrugged and went back to his hair.

"Form a line!" called out the sharp voice of Professor McGonagall. "The Sorting Ceremony's about to start. Now, follow me." She led them out of the room and across the entrance hall and through a pair of double doors that led them straight into the Great Hall.

Harri gasped in awe as she looked up at the ceiling and found it black and dotted with stars, probably an exact copy of what was currently outside. They were all lined up in front of the older students and then McGonagall brought out the Sorting Hat. Harri couldn't help but stare in bewilderment at the shoddy looking hat sitting atop the stool. She couldn't believe that that was what was supposed to decide their house. However, her opinion changed drastically when the hat began to sing. After a round of applause for the hat's song the sorting began.

It went by pretty quickly and Harri was one of the first to go up and get sorted. She gulped down her nervousness and sat the hat down upon her head. She nearly jolted in surprise when a voice started talking to her.

"Hmm," said a small voice in her ear. "Difficult, very difficult. You want to be in Slytherin, eh? Well, you certainly have that talent for it, not a bad mind, and thirst to prove yourself, as well. You would definitely do good in Slytherin, it will help you on your way to greatness. But, then again, you're also very courageous. And Gryffindor does love pranksters, and I can see a love for that in your mind. I'm sure you'll be a great one, just like your father." Harri froze at that.

'_Did you know my parents?'_ she asked it through her mind. She could almost feel it smirking on top of her head.

"Why, yes, yes I did. They were two of the truest Gryffindors that have ever met." Harri could barely think in the excitement she felt.

'_What were their names? Do you know if they're still alive? Are-' _

_ "_Now, now. Why should I tell you? After all, _your _the cunning little Slytherin not _me._ You should be able to figure it out yourself in due time. Anyway, I do believe I know where you belong and that's – SLYTHERIN!" It called out and Harri reluctantly pulled off the hat and walked over to join Millicent at the Slytherin table. She was greeted happily by some of the older Slytherin girls and Millicent seemed like she wanted to ask what took so long but waved it off for later.

The sorting went pretty fast after that and Harri couldn't help but chuckle and nudge Millicent when Draco swaggered up to take his turn. Draco could be so pompous sometimes. Hushed whispers descended on the hall when Connor Potter went up, and he seemed to be living it up. The Gryffindor table burst into the loudest applause of that evening when he went to join them. Harri looked over at the table and caught the eyes of one of the twins and gave him a quick wave. Her smile dropped though when he turned his head resolutely away and whispered something to his brother who glanced up at her once or twice but other then that did nothing. She was now experiencing first hand the Gryffindor Slytherin prejudice, and she didn't like it. Finally, Blaise joined them and Dumbledore said a few words, though odd they were, and food filled the table.

"So, Harri, what took you so long to be sorted? It was almost as long as that Neville boy." Millicent asked. Apparently it had been on everyone's mind because they all paused in their eating to stare at her.

"Oh, I almost forgot." Harri said. "Apparently it knew my parents and was wondering if I wouldn't do better in their old house instead of Slytherin." Harri scrunched her nose and made a face at the last bit.

"Knew your parents?" asked Daphne. "Your making it sound as if you didn't know who your own parents are." She got out a small chuckle from Pansy but Blaise and Draco just exchanged a look.

"I don't actually." Harri said offhandedly, trying to make it seem as it didn't matter much. "The hat seemed to think that it would be a right mystery for me to solve using my Slytherin cunning." Daphne was instantly quiet and Pansy seemed a little ashamed for laughing earlier.

"So," said Blaise, trying to break the suddenly stiff air around their area of the table. "what house did it try to sort you into?" Harri nodded her thanks for the change in subject.

"It thought I would do good in Gryffindor." Harri stated and now they were silent for a different reason. "Oh, come off it. I didn't want to be in Gryffindor and you all know it." They nodded but thet seemed a bit uncomfortable. Harri rolled her eyes. Was the Slytherin Gryffindor rivalry really this big? "Besides, I'm glad I wasn't sorted into Gryffindor. I would have been stuck being quoted at by Hermione." The little joke seemed to work and after Pansy and Millicent laughed the conversation continued on normally.

As Harri watched them talk amongst themselves about recent happenings in the wizarding world she couldn't help but ;et a small smile slip onto place. She was glad that after all those years of being alone she was finally able to make friends. She was able to move on to something better then just being a live-in maid for the Dursleys. She had a future, and this future held the possibility of finding out who her parents were. A whack on her head made her turn to her side.

"Earth to Harri." Said Millicent in an exasperated voice. "Please come out of that alternate reality you just fell into and join the conversation." At this Harri gave her a big grin.

Yep, it was good to have friends.


End file.
